Neighbors' concerns about several horses that appear to be in very poor condition led to an investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and charges against the owner.

The horses in a pasture on Looper Road in Pelzer have hay and grass to eat, but neighbors say it's not enough to get the animals back to proper weight. They said they have watched the animals go from bad to worse over the past few months. The horses ribs are showing, and one has a cut on its face, and another has an open sore on its back. Some have cracked hooves.

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Neighbor Jamie Elrod says she's worried about the horses' future.

"This hurts, to see them like this,"she said. "One of the horses is my favorite. He's the one that when I'm having a bad day, he'll come up and I'll pet his face. I don't want to see him anymore because of the way they look."

Anderson County sheriff's Maj. Garry Bryant said following an investigation, the owner of the horses was given two citations for animal ordinance violations.

Bryant said the owner will be given the opportunity to bring the horses back to health. He will be working with the county and a veterinarian to rehabilitate the horses.

Bryant said it will be up to a judge's discretion to determine if the owner will face any penalties for the ordinance violations.

News 4 tried to speak to the owner of the horses, but he was unavailable for comment.